Grandma's House: A Community‐Led Partnership With University Researchers Drawing on Cultural Heritage Approaches to Support Research Development
Adele Horobin, Monica Tucker, Shanine Fasasi, Gemma Poole, Khadiyo Hassan, Insa Hussain, Joanne R. MorlingABSTRACT
Background
In African‐Caribbean culture, the grandmother occupies a central moral and social position, a matriarch. In the context of community engagement, this imagery serves as a metaphor for relational and cultural intelligence in partnerships. At the suggestion of local community members, we sought to leverage this to form a community research partnership.
Objective
We describe, critically review and outline the key learning points from the first year of delivering Grandma's House.
Methods
The extended appreciative inquiry cycle (Define, Discover, Dream, Design and Destiny) was used to co‐produce Grandma's House. Each stage was explored through meetings and workshops with community members to support the delivery of pilot events. The approach was continuously evaluated through event feedback and a final broad stakeholder meeting, where a review and SWOT analysis were conducted.
Results
Grandma's House successfully replicated the traditional African‐Caribbean generation‐to‐generation support model. Five pilot events were successfully delivered in a range of local community settings. Key strengths were identified as collective learning and knowledge sharing; active community engagement through heritage; and building community‐university relationships. Weaknesses included the challenge of funding and university inflexibility to align with community preferences.
Discussion
We successfully implemented a unique approach to facilitate a critical shift in the role of community members in leading collaborations in health research and practice. Grandma's House worked because it came from the community, beginning with cultural pride rather than community need.
Public Contribution
The public were the originators and drivers of this project, involved in every aspect and leading the majority. They supported the design, implementation, reflections and manuscript writing.